EFFECTS OF LONG TRAVELS IN SITTING POSITION IN ELDERLY VOLUNTEERS ON BIOLOGICAL - MARKERS OF COAGULATION ACTIVATION AND FIBRINOLYSIS

Objective: to evaluate whether long travel in sitting position is asso ciated with an increase of coagulation activation and/or a decrease of fibrinolytic activity. Design: Comparison of blood coagulation and fi brinolysis parameters before and after two pleasure trips by bus organ ized in winter period (600 km in 8 hours) and in summer period (1200 k m in 16 hours). Subjects: 31 and 23 healthy elder volunteers for the w inter and the summer trip respectively. Nine other elder volunteers we re selected as a control group for the winter study. Main outcome meas ures: prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F1+2), thrombin-antithrombin III (TAT) , D-dimers (D-D), factor VII activated, plasminogen activator inhibito r (PAI), tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), plasma albumin. Res ults: A significant difference before and after the travel was only ob served for TAT in the summer period. However all values of TAT were in the normal range. No volunteer presented with thromboembolic disease during the month following the travel. Conclusion: In the condition of our study, long travel in sitting position does not lead to an enhanc ed procoagulant state for elderly with varicose veins. These results s uggest that there is no biological support to propose heparin prophyla ctic therapy for the elderly with varicose veins wishing to travel by bus.